the National League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth. This Series was only the second time the Rangers and the Cardinals played each other; they met in regular-season interleague play in 2004, when the Cardinals won two of a three-game series in Texas. This was the first World Series assignment for umpires Greg Gibson and Ron Kulpa. Each of the other umpires had previously worked one World Series. The Cardinals were supported by fans brandishing Rally Squirrel memorabilia that alluded to a squirrel that ran across the field during a playoff game. National anthem singers featured Game one: Scotty McCreery, Game two: Trace Adkins, Game three: Ronnie Dunn, Game four: Zooey Deschanel, Game five: Demi Lovato, Game six: Joe (singer), and Game seven: Chris Daughtry (from Daughtry (band)) Texas Rangers This was the Rangers' second appearance in the World Series. Heading into 2010, their 50th season as a franchise (counting its time as the Washington Senators), the team was the only one in Major League Baseball to never win a postseason series, and was among of three teams (along with the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals) to never appear in the World Series. However, that season, the Rangers won their first postseason series and made their first appearance in the World Series, only to lose to the San Francisco Giants in five games. During the offseason, Chuck Greenberg, who purchased the Rangers from Tom Hicks during the 2010 season along with Nolan Ryan, sold his interest in the team to Ryan, making him the Rangers' principal owner. Notable player departures during the offseason included pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder/designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (both to free agency) and catcher Bengie Molina, who retired. Notable free agent additions during the offseason included pitchers Yoshinori Tateyama and Brandon Webb, catcher Yorvit Torrealba, and third-baseman Adrián Beltré. In January 2011, as part of a three-way trade with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Rangers acquired catcher Mike Napoli in exchange for pitcher Frank Francisco. During the season, the team acquired pitcher Koji Uehara from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for infielder Chris Davis, and Mike Adams from the San Diego Padres in exchange for two minor-league pitchers. Pitcher Arthur Rhodes was released and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals days later; as a result, Rhodes would have been entitled to receive a World Series ring regardless